The Marriage and Family Therapy Program at App State
The Marriage and Family Program prepares students to work with individuals, couples, and families in a variety of clinical settings. The program requires 48 semester hours and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). The deadline for admission is February 1 for the fall 2020 cohort, apply to the MFT Masters of Arts Program.
AAMFT Statement on MFT Responsibility to Counter Racism
The MFT Program at Appalachian State endorses the AAMFT statement regarding our responsibility to actively counter racism. We reject systemic racism and work to counter white supremist ideologies. We continue to be reflective and commit to ongoing work to improve our accountability to inclusively train MFTs. Read the entire AAMFT Statement on MFT Responsibility to Counter Racism.
Appalachian State Response to COVID-19
The Marriage and Family Therapy program is following direction from Appalachian State and the UNC System, who are monitoring the ongoing responses to COVID-19. For updated information, please visit AppState Cornovirus Information.
For American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) updates and direction for family therapists, please visit Coronavirus: AAMFT Status.
For North Carolina Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (NCAMFTE) updates and directions for family therapists in NC, please visit NCAMFT COVID-19 Information.
Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy (COAMFTE) updates and direction for MFT training programs, visit COAMFTE Message regarding COVID-19
MFT Student Awarded 3MT People's Choice
Congratuations to Imani Dillon, first year MFT student, for being awarded the People's Choice Award at the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition held on October 29th. Her presentation was titled: "Is Parenting Style Related to Later Substance Abuse in Children?" Students in the Multicultural Counseling class instructed by Dr. Jordan participated in this annual event hosted by the Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies.
SAMFT Conference
The Student Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (SAMFT) hosted the annual fall conference on November 8th. The workshop titled Intersectionality in Therapies: Personal Experiences of a Black Queer Femme Therapist, featured guest speaker Adrienne Michelle, LMFT, who spoke on how the intersectionality of both therapist and client affects the therapuetic process. More information here.
MFT Students Admitted to Ph.D. Programs
Two graduating MFT students have been admitted to Ph.D. programs starting fall 2019. Congratulations to Carmen Gray who will attend Kansas State University and to Francesca Otero-Vargas who will attend Florida State University! Gray has also been selected as a Reich College of Education graduate student speaker at commencement, held on May 10th at the App State Convocation Center. Otero-Vargas has been awarded a 2019 McKnight Doctoral Fellowship, which strives to support African American and Hispanic faculty at colleges and universities in Florida.
HRSA Grant to Fund Clinical Interns
Dr. Karen Caldwell is the recipent of a HRSA grant funded by a Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training for Professionals and Paraprofessionals grant award from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The grant funds internship stipends, which are available to students in their internship year. The goal of the grant is to provide behavioral services to children and youth living in rural Appalachian communities and expand the number of licensed MFTs working in these underserved areas. The stipend amount provided to each recipient is $10,000 over the course of their 12 month internship.
Social Justice in Action Fund
The Marriage and Family Therapy Social Justice in Action Fund provides assistance to financially support students from underrepresented populations
MFT Alumni Wins AAMFT Dissertation Award
Jordan Montgomery, App State MFT alumni (class of 2014) and recent graduate of the Florida State MFT doctoral program (class of 2018) was awarded the AAMFT Dissertation award at the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy conference, held in Austin, Texas. Dr. Montgomery's dissertation was titled "Culturally Competent Parenting: A Test of Web-Based Training for Transracial Foster and Adoptive Parents." Dr. Montgomery is featured as the April 2020 Reich College of Education Alumni Update.
Faculty and Students Present Research at AFTA
Dr. Laura Gambrel along with students Jordan Gale and Brittany Fordham presented a research titled: A Feminist Analysis of Online Parenting Programs, at the American Family Therapy Academy 2019 Annual Meeting. They traveled to Oakland, CA, in June.
Systemic Multicultural Counseling Certificate
The Marriage and Family Therapy program offers a certificate in Systemic Multicultural Counseling. Applications are reviewed for fall and spring admission. Learn more about the Multicultural Systemic Counseling Certificate.